Civic Hall to host World Mental Health Day celebration

Caption: Councillor Lisa Mulherin and Cllr Adam Ogilvie outside Leeds Civic all, which will host the World Mental Health Day event on Friday.

The doors or Leeds Civic Hall will be thrown open to welcome organisations from across the city to a celebration of World Mental Health Day this week.

A huge banner has been put in place on the front of the building ahead of the event this Friday (Oct 10) and details have been showing on the big screen on Millennium Square in the build-up to the day.

The event itself, which takes place in the Civic Hall’s banqueting suite, will see more than 30 organisations from around Leeds raising awareness and providing advice and information to people attending on the day.

Groups who will be attending include Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service, Leeds Mind, Leeds City Council Adult Social Care and Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust.

Public tours of the Civic Hall will also take place throughout the day, with information films shown in Ark Royal room.

Dancers and live musicians will also be performing, including the Zest Health for Life Line Dancing group and the band from the council’s Lovell Park Hub.

Councillor Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, said:

“This event will be a chance for us to open our doors and celebrate some of the fantastic work going on locally which is making a genuine difference to the lives of people experiencing mental health problems in our city.

“But as we celebrate what has already been accomplished, we must also take the opportunity to raise awareness about what still needs to be done.

“Whilst incredible progress has been made in removing the stigma around mental health issues, through holding events like this we must continue to break down barriers and ensure that people who need help have the both the confidence to ask for it and the information they need to find it.”

World Mental Health Day was first celebrated in 1992 with the aim of being a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy.

Friday’s event will build on the range of work being done by the city’s Health and Wellbeing Board, which has been working improve people’s mental health and wellbeing as part of their strategy for Leeds.

This June, the board sponsored an event entitled Mentally Healthy City which saw planning and urban design officers, mental health professionals, recreation experts and charities come together to talk about how the designs for current and future developments in Leeds can help support good mental health.

The event was hosted by Cllr Lisa Mulherin, chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

She said: “World Mental Health Day has become a key date in recognising the vital role mental health plays in people’s overall wellbeing and letting people know just how much support is out there.

“Improving people’s mental health and wellbeing is one of our key commitments and by getting everyone together and talking at event like these, we can plan for the future and make sure we have what we need in place to accomplish that goal.

“June’s event also saw some really interesting discussions about the major role buildings, parks, green spaces and other local facilities can all play in the emotional wellbeing of people living in Leeds. It’s important that we look at those factors in detail when thinking about how we can build healthy and sustainable communities.”

Young people will also be playing their part in marking World Mental Health Day with a challenge to design a special poster.

All schools and academies in Leeds are being asked to come up with ideas to promote positive mental health, by designing a poster with their five top tips for keeping mentally and/or emotionally healthy or helping their friends to do the same.

One winning secondary school and one winning primary school will be invited to the Civic Hall to meet the Lord Mayor of Leeds and have a tour as well as having their winning poster framed and twenty copies printed.

More information can be found here: http://www.schoolwellbeing.co.uk/pages/world-mental-health-day-competition

Schools can send a poster through the post to Lucy Barrow, TaMHS School Development Consultant, Health and Wellbeing Service, Children's Services, Adam's Court, Kildare Terrace, Whitehall Road, Leeds LS12 1DB by Friday, November 21st or email to lucy.barrow@leeds.gov.uk